L. SAUCON PASTOR MARKS 35 YEARS IN MINISTRY

The Reverend Paul Pritchett says the church was a part of his life "ever since I can remember."

After 35 years in the ministry, Pritchett was honored by members of his church, Ebenezer New Reformed Church in Bingen, at a celebration last week.

Pritchett, who was born in Cambridge, Md., started teaching Sunday school when he was 16 and was a youth leader throughout his teens.

"I was born and raised in the church," he says.

His calling to the ministry came at a young age but circumstances prevented him from following through until he was 27.

"I was late bloomer," he says. "My father died when I was 15. I had to do first things first."

Pritchett married Dorothy, his wife of 42 years, and then served in Korea. The couple had two daughters and built a house in Maryland. However, Pritchett still felt the call to the ministry and in 1958 he decided to act on it.

"I quit a job I had for 19 years," he says. "I had two kids and had just built a home when we moved."

Pritchett started taking courses through the Wesleyan Church and began serving as a minister in Centreville, Md.

He accepted a call to a small church on Tilghman Island in Maryland where he served for three years.

"It was a little fishing village," he says. "A drawbridge was the only way to get on the island."

There were two churches on the island and Pritchett worked with both.

"We worked together with the Methodist church," he says. "In a small town, everybody works together. When you become a part of the community you can really help people."

In 1968, Pritchett decided he needed more education and he and his family moved to Pennsylvania so he could attend classes at United Wesleyan College.

He settled in Lower Saucon Township and began serving as pastor at Ebenezer Church.

At the time, the little village church was sorely in need of renovation.

"They didn't have bathrooms or running water," he says.

Pritchett started a drive to raise funds for the renovation and by 1974 the church had new plumbing as well as a nursery.

"I became a part of it," says Pritchett.

However, shortly after that, Pritchett had to reduce his workload for health reasons and began teaching adult Bible classes at Bethany Wesleyan Church in Cherryville where he stayed until 1987. At that time, Pritchett returned to Ebenezer Church and two years later, the congregation asked him to be associate pastor, a position he has held ever since.

"I assist Rev. Keith Easley and fill in," he says. "You have to be one of them to help them."

Although he is officially retired, he still spends much of his time at the church and currently is painting the church in the evenings.